Alex Rodriguez has played his last game as a New York Yankee. At least it sure seems that way.

All signs point toward that conclusion as the Yankees face an elimination game Thursday in the American League Championship Series against the Tigers at Comerica Park.

A-Rod is not in the lineup. He has been benched three times in the playoffs, manager Joe Girardi preferring to use Raul Ibanez at DH and Eric Chavez at third base rather than a former MVP with 647 home runs.

The Yankees were pushed to a chilling ledge this fall: They can’t win with Rodriguez and they can’t win without him. In another city, this story is A + B = C. In New York, it’s A + B = E! Network.

Rodriguez is a reality show, his playing time birthing conspiracy theories more than cold statistics.

He’s not playing because of his flirtatious nature with two women above the Yankees dugout (if that’s the case, his new walk-up song should be “Call Me Maybe”). Or because Yankees’ management has a grudge, sitting A-Rod to embarrass him for his horrible season.

The reality is that A-Rod stinks right now. There doesn’t need to be another reason other than this: 0-for-18 with 12 strikeouts against right-handers in the playoffs. And there aren’t many who are a worse matchup for A-Rod’s slow bat than Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

Robinson Cano, Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson have been equally awful in the playoffs. But they aren’t A-Rod, who was re-signed following the 2007 season in large part to break Barry Bonds’ home run record in a Yankees uniform.

Rodriguez has tried to say the right things, but he’s grown less tolerable the last few days. When a player doesn’t bother taking off his sweatshirt, it sends a clear message: Don’t even try to use me as a pinch-hitter.

Rodriguez has five years and $114 million left on his contract. That’s a heck of a price for a platoon player, even for the Yankees. They will look to move him. According to multiple reports, the Yankees had casual conversations with the Marlins. Rodriguez has a complete no-trade clause, so he’s at the steering wheel. Rodriguez is popular in South Florida, where he’s a huge donor to the University of Miami baseball program. Heath Bell for A-Rod?

As USA Today mentioned, perhaps there’s a bad contract fit in Anaheim where the Angels would gladly ship Vernon Wells to the Yankees.

Former Nationals GM Jim Bowden and current radio host suggested the Rockies could be in the mix, using Rodriguez for a year to keep the seat warm for Nolan Arenado. Could the Rockies call? I don’t rule anything out. But it’s really hard to see Rodriguez agreeing to go anywhere but a big market.

The Yankees’ season is almost over. Soon A-Rod’s time in pinstripes will likely be as well.

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Troy is a former Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies beat writer for The Denver Post. He joined the news organization in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role ahead of the 2015 season. He left The Post in 2015.